The subject matter described herein relates to atomic force microscopes.
Various technology sectors such as, e.g., the semiconductor sector, need tools and techniques to perform surface inspection. Scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) are techniques for inspecting surfaces. In general, an electrically conductive probe is mounted on a cantilevered support, which is vibrated at the resonance frequency of the support. A detector such as, e.g., a laser heterodyne interferometer measures the amplitude of the vibration. This measurement can be used to determine the force between the probe and the surface.